Ambiguity
by Yukishiro Madoka
Summary: .AU HIGH SCHOOL FIC. Cho is crushed when she loses Harry to Ginny. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Cho calls upon the help of the arrogant, cold Draco Malfoy. HPCCDM. Contains some OOCness.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny would not exist and Cho would not be portrayed as a whiny little brat.

A/N. To Kyoko and Rei: Gah! Now I really feel bad after reading your last comment, Kyoko. No, really, I'd like you to continue reviewing because chances are I'll make more mistakes in the future...and I'd like someone to point them out. :)

To readers: I know you guys were waiting for an update, but I had to fix some mistakes in this chapter. I only fixed the scenes where Ginny was OOC...and a bit of the talks between Marietta and Cho. Sometime this week I'll be posting up the next chapter.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Operation "Forget about Harry Potter" was simply not working.

That was the first thing Cho Chang thought when she woke up to find herself staring at a poster of her favorite singer on the wall.

Why is that, you may ask? It's simply because every time she tries to shove the thought of him into the back of her head, he comes back, smiling that dazzling smile of his that makes her heart melt.

Just last night, she had a dream that they were walking on the beach, holding hands. And then when he leaned over to kiss her, the dream was shattered by the sound of her alarm clock.

Cursing her alarm clock, she slammed her palm on it and it immediately shut up. Sighing, she went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Why does she like him, anyway?

Well, he's cute. Not insanely handsome or hot, but cute. He's so cute that it makes her want to pinch his cheeks sometimes, especially when he smiles and flashes those dimples of his. And he has beautiful dark locks that she has always wondered how they would feel under and over her hands. And those gorgeous green eyes of his that she could get lost in...

Not to mention that he's super smart, althletic, and he's really nice to everyone. But that's not the main reason why she fell in love with Harry Potter. It was because he was always there for her when she needed him. If she needed to vent out her pet peeves, he was there. If some guys harassed or pestered her to go out with them, he would step in and protect her from them. But what she loved most was that he always seemed to be there when she needed a shoulder to cry on. When her cat, Jacky, was run over by a car, he was there. When she got a C on her progress report and she was scolded for hours for getting such a bad grade, he was there. When some of her friends ditched her to hang out with other people, he was there.

When tragedies befell Cho, most people kept their distance from her, even her own closest friends, because they didn't know what to say. But although Harry wasn't that very good with words either, he was still there.

Last year, she had been going through a deep depression and spent half of her time crying, but he was always there for her.

But...

The reason why this operation was born in the first place was...

Harry Potter was dating Ginny Weasley.

At first, she refused to believe it when she heard the news, but she knew her friend, Lisa, would never lie to her. Yesterday, Lisa claimed to have seen Harry and Ginny sharing an ice cream sundae, laughing and smiling at each other like "love sick puppies." But what was worse was that Lisa claimed that they were holding hands and even shared a kiss.

She didn't know why it came as a shock. Harry Potter was one of the most popular boys in school because he was nice, cute, funny, and had all the great qualities of an ideal boyfriend, and he was bound to hook up with a girl sooner or later. But maybe it was because for a small moment, she had believed that she and Harry were meant to be.

_I guess I was wrong, _Cho thought glumly, remembering something Harry's friend, Ron Weasley (Ginny's older brother,) had said.

_She's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful. _

"If I hadn't been so busy crying all the time last year,_" _Cho said to herself softly, "would...would it have been possible for me and Harry to be together?"

Cho sighed and walked over to her dresser table to pick up and cradle a framed photograph in her hand. The picture was of her, blushing and beaming shyly, and a tall boy with his arm around her, smiling widely at the camera.

"What do you think, Cedric?"

**xXxXxXx**

**+---Hogwarts Academy---+**

"Awwww, you guys are holding hands!"

"Sooo cute!"

Stepping into the courtyard, Cho had come across a crowd of girls that were surrounding a couple. She suppressed a wistful sigh as she watched the love of her life, Harry Potter, hold hands with Ginny Weasley.

"Wow, are you guys really going out??" someone piped up.

Was she blind to the fact that they were both holding hands? Cho wanted to roll her eyes at the girl's stupidity, yet she wished that the answer to that question was no.

"Y-yeah," Harry responded.

A faint tint of pink crossed Harry's face, as well as Ginny's. Cho could feel her hopes crashing down upon her.

"Awww, you guys look cute together!"

"Sooo cute!"

"Give her a smooch, Harry!"

Cho secretly wanted to smack the girls for suggesting such a thing.

"Ehhh?!" Both Harry and Ginny turned a dark shade of red.

"Aw, c'mon!" the girl urged. "You guys _are _boyfriend and girlfriend, aren't you? And boyfriends and girlfriends kiss each other..._right??_"

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, blushed even harder, and said in unison, "Uhhh...well..."

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" the girls chanted.

"Okay, okay!" Ginny burst out irritatedly. "If it will shut you guys up, then I-I guess so!"

Harry looked at Ginny timidly at this, and she looked back, her face as red as his. They leaned in slowly until their lips were about half an inch apart -

Cho turned and walked away, hearing nothing but the squeals of the girls that signifyed the kiss of the couple, as well as the sound of her own heart breaking.

**xXxXxXx**

"Cho, what's the matter? You look down in the dumps."

Cho sighed, pulling her knees to her chest, her back pressed lightly against the trunk of the tree behind her. "Haven't you heard, Marietta?" she murmured bitterly.

"Oh, about the whole Harry and Ginny going out thing? Yup."

Cho sighed even more heavily and put her head in her arms. How could her friend be so clueless of how she felt? Seeing the boy she loved holding hands and kissing another girl (okay, so maybe she turned away before she could witness it...but it still hurt, anyway) it was like a knife had been thrust into her heart.

She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. There were no more tears left. Tears wouldn't solve anything, anyway.

Tears were what had made Harry drift away from her...

_She's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful. _

"You could at least try to cheer me up," she said glumly to her friend.

"Oh, sorry...but what am I supposed to say?" Marietta said awkwardly. "Uh, well, forget Harry, he's not good enough for you?"

"That's not what I was hoping to hear," Cho mumbled. Marietta watched helplessly and sympathetically as Cho continued to sigh, her voice muffled in her arms.

"I really _do _believe that, Cho," Marietta insisted. "I don't have anything against Harry, but I just don't think he's good enough for you."

"How can you say that?! He's the _only one _for me!"

Marietta let out a long sigh. Clearly, she was wishing Dear Abby was there at the moment.

"Look," Marietta fished around for something comforting to say, "there's plenty of fish in the sea, Cho, so - "

"But I don't _care _about the other fish," Cho moaned, torn between relief that her friend was trying her best to console her, and annoyance that she didn't understand her feelings. Why did people think it was so easy to forget about the one you loved? "Harry's the one I want..."

"Didn't Michael Corner ask you out the other day?" Marietta was obviously trying to steer the subject away from Harry. "Why don't you date him?"

Cho looked at Marietta bitterly. "Marietta, if you think I'm dating that insensitive, troublemaking wart, then think again."

"Okay, okay," Marietta looked disappointed. "Well, how about - "

"No," Cho cut in. "I don't care about any other guy - I only want Harry."

Cho could tell that Marietta was digesting this with mild irritation and was trying to think of something else to say. Cho lay her head in her arms and sighed. Marietta may be a good friend, but she really sucks at comforting people, Cho thought darkly.

"I got it!" Marietta shouted suddenly.

"What?" Cho asked dully, not bothering to look up.

"Harry used to have a crush on you, right?"

"Did he?" Cho looked up at this statement. She had always thought Harry acted super nice around her, nicer than he usually was, but she had always thought it was because they were close friends and he felt sorry for her. But had he really liked her?

"Yes, he did," Marietta went on impatiently. "You just never noticed because you were too busy brooding over Cedric - " Marietta stopped mid-sentence and horror flickered across her face. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, Cho!"

The image of Cedric's smiling face flashed into her mind, so clearly that she felt that it was real, but she knew it would never be. Cho's heart ached painfully, but she tried to block out the pain by concentrating on looking her friend in the eye. She smiled weakly and said softly, "It's okay."

Actually, it _wasn't_, and Cho wished that her friend would think about being considerate of other people's feelings sometimes, but Cho knew that Marietta was truly sorry for bringing up the subject.

"Anyway," Marietta continued, sounding a bit awkward, "I was just thinking that the best way to get him to like you back is..." Marietta paused, perhaps for dramatic effect.

"What?" Cho was a lot more interested in what her friend had to say than before.

"Make him jealous."

Cho stared at her friend blankly, as if she had just arrived from a UFO. "You mean," she said finally, "pretend to like another guy in hopes that he'll get jealous?"

"Yes!" Marietta's eyes were bright as she went on to explain. "Look, chances are that Harry still has feelings for you, but he's going out with Ginny so he can move on more quickly. If he saw that you were going out with somebody, his feelings for you might reawaken."

"Hmmm." Cho thought about this for a while. She had heard about other girls using this same method to try to win a boy's affections, but most of the time, it never worked. "What if he doesn't have any lingering feelings for me?" she asked worriedly. She remembered that Michael Corner had asked her out a few days ago, and she knew Harry had witnessed it. But there had been no sadness or jealousy on his face. He looked as if he were watching total strangers, without a care in the world. It had made her feel as if she didn't matter to him at all.

"Oh, don't be so clueless, Cho," Marietta snapped. "He's never shown any interest in Ginny before, so why would he suddenly hook up with her?"

"I don't know," Cho said, feeling stupider by the minute. "Maybe it's because she's ..._cheerful_." This Cho said with sadness as she remembered Ron's words to Harry.

Marietta ignored her friend's statement. "Aw, c'mon, Cho, give it a try!" she encouraged.

"But who could I possibly pretend to like?" Cho said doubtfully.

"Anybody, actually, but for the best results, you have to pretend to like the guy that Harry hates the most."

Cho stared at her friend, her face as blank as a peeled potato. "Who does Harry hate the most?" she asked quizzically, doubting that Harry hated anybody. He was friendly and sweet, and everyone liked him.

"Cho, I swear, if you were any more clueless...!" Marietta rolled her eyes. She then let out a sigh and leaned toward Cho. "The answer is," she paused again dramatically.

"What?"

"Draco Malfoy," Marietta said eagerly, a triumphant grin on her face.

_Huh? Who was that again? _Cho thought. The image of a sneering, blonde boy with stone, gray eyes flickered in Cho's mind. _Oh, _that guy, Cho remembered. _The guy who struts around like he owns the school. _

Cho stared at her friend for a minute or so before she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that her stomach hurt and tears welled up in her eyes. It felt weird to laugh at a time like this, but it felt good, too, after being sad for so long.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Marietta's smile faded and she stared at Cho, clearly hurt that Cho was laughing at her idea.

"M-Marietta, you're kidding, right?" Cho wiped tears from her eyes. "D-Draco Malfoy! Ahaha, that's a good one!"

"But I'm not kidding!" Marietta cried out. "I'm perfectly serious!"

Cho took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Are you really?" Cho eyed her friend suspiciously.

"Yes!" Marietta was getting frustrated.

"That's a _brilliant _plan, Marietta," Cho said sarcastically, "with _several _flaws. One, Malfoy is a conceited, arrogant jerk, and guys like him just aren't my type." Not to mention that she disliked anybody who caused Harry trouble. "Two, everyone would think I'm nuts to go out with someone like him." Yes, her reputation was at stake here. "And three, Malfoy would probably just blow me off anyway if I "flirted" with him," Cho emphasized the word _flirt _by making quotation marks with her fingers, "so I'd look like a complete idiot in front of everyone," she paused, "especially Harry."

"_Well_, Cho," Marietta said, mocking Cho's sarcastic tone, "for one, you're only supposed to _pretend _to like him to make Harry jealous, not _really _like him. Two, who cares what everyone thinks? And three, well, I've got that covered."

"You what?"

"I've got it covered," Marietta repeated. "Let's just say, I'm very good at convincing."

"Are you really?" Cho resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Yes!"

The bell rang to signal the start of class. Cho gathered her books and slightly heavy book bag, rising to her feet.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," the Chinese girl said doubtfully.

"Then don't think," Marietta said shrilly. "_I'm _going to be doing that."

**xXxXxXx**

_**+----History Class----+**_

"The reason why this speech was so famous was..."

Cho posed her pencil over her sheet of paper, but she was tuning out the teacher and not taking any notes, which was something she had never done before. She concentrated on staring at Harry, who was sitting next to Ginny, who was in front of her. Ginny glanced quickly at the teacher before turning to Harry with a grin and mouthing, _Booooring. _

Harry snifled a laugh, grinning back at her. Cho suppressed a defeated sigh. _I've never been able to make Harry smile like that. Ginny's the only one who's made him smile like that...Does that mean that they're meant for each other?_

The dark-haired girl turned away from them and stared out the window. _Ugh, it's hard _not _to think about Harry when he's right in front of me flirting with Ginny_, she thought miserably.

"_Hem, hem. _And unless Miss Chang is too busy daydreaming, she'll kindly read where Miss Patil left off."

Cho continued to stare out the window, unaware that the entire class was staring at her.

"_I see._"

All of a sudden, a hand slammed down on her desk so hard that Cho yelped, startled.

"Why don't you tell us exactly where Miss Patil left off, Miss Chang?" Professor Umbridge said menacingly, her straight, white teeth shining at Cho between her lips.

Cho gulped, glancing fearfully around at her classmates, as if hoping they could help her out. Some looked sympathetic and others were smirking. But the worst thing was, Harry was staring at her with his eyebrow slightly arched, and Cho could feel her face burning.

"_Well?_" Professor Umbridge pressed.

"Um, erm, I - that is, uh," Cho found herself stammering.

_RIIING! _

Cho almost breathed a sigh of relief, but the angry look on Professor's Umbridge stopped her.

"I shall see you after school, Miss Chang," she said loudly, trying not to sound disappointed that she hadn't been able to fully humiliate her pupil. "Class dismissed."

**xXxXxXx**

_**+---Break---+**_

"Umbridge was really pissed, Cho."

"Tell me something I don't know, Marietta..." Cho murmured, remembering the look on Harry's face. "I hate my life..."

"Aw, cheer up! Harry may be dating Ginny now, but I promise you, in a few weeks, he'll ditch her to go out with you!"

"If only," Cho went on, as if her friend had not said anything, "if only I had snapped out of my depression and asked him out before Ginny did...maybe we'd be dating right now..."

Marietta looked at her best friend sympathetically. "Stop brooding, Cho, it's not healthy!" she chided. "I'm going to straight this whole thing out soon, so quit moping, okay? I can't stand seeing you all depressed!"

''I'll try," Cho sighed. Secretly, she thought Marietta's "brilliant" plan wasn't really brilliant at all. As much as she felt resentful of Ginny for being Harry's girlfriend, she didn't want to break them up. Ginny made him happy, and that was what she wanted most, right? For Harry to be happy...

_Is that REALLY what you want? _the voice within her mind asked softly.

Cho sighed. No, it wasn't, but that was all she could ask for now, right? There was no chance of Harry and she being together...not now...not in this lifetime. She had to move on, for her own sake, as well as Harry's...

"Anyway, meet me in homeroom 205 after school, okay?" Marietta's voice broke her train of thought.

"After school? But - "

"Oh, yeah." Marietta grimaced. "Well, meet me there _after _the old witch gives you a lecture."

"Why?"

"Just do it, okay?"

"Okay..." Cho sighed and lay her head in her arms.

Marietta leaned over to Cho and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Cheer up, Cho, it'll work out in the end, I promise!" she said soothingly.

"Thanks, Marietta," Cho cast her friend a grateful smile. _Thanks for telling me the words I need to hear...even though I very much doubt them._

**xXxXxXx**

_**+---After School----+**_

Cho walked down the stairs quickly. When she turned a corner, she found herself bumping into somebody, dropping her books all over the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Cho groaned.

"It's no problem."

Cho almost gasped. "H-Harry!" she stammered. Her eyes fell upon Ginny, who was standing next to Harry. Ginny gave her a polite smile, to which Cho weakly returned yet quickly turned away. "Um, sorry for bumping into you, Harry," she apologized again, gathering up her books. Harry got down onto the floor, too.

"It's no problem," Harry repeated, helping her gather up her books. "Well, anyway," he said, rising to his feet, "good luck with Umbridge. I hope you come out of detention alive." Seeing the puzzled look on Cho's face, he laughed. "Trust me, Umbridge's a sadistic witch."

"I hear that all the time," Cho said truthfully, pleased when Harry chuckled at her statement. "But she's never punished me yet, so this thing is sort of new to me..."

"Yeah, well," Harry grinned, "first time for everything, right?"

"In some cases, it's better not to even have a first time," Ginny piped up. This made Harry laugh. Cho forced a smile, but when Ginny wasn't looking, she cast her an envious stare.

"W-well...I should be getting to detention now..." Cho sighed, wanting to have a reason to get away from them.

"Okay. Good luck," Harry said sincerely.

"Yeah...thanks. See you later, guys."

"You, too," Harry and Ginny chorused in unison. The three went their separate ways.

Cho walked briskly, trying to push the image of Harry and Ginny together from her mind. It was so easy to fake a smile and pretend nothing was wrong, but it hurt her deeply to know that it was hard - no, _impossible _- for everybody except Marietta, her best friend, to tell that the smiles she put on were fake and that she was really a lonely girl buried beneath all that glamour.

_I wish that I can be happy someday. _As she turned a corner, lost in her own thoughts, she ran into someone else - again.

"I'm sorry - " Cho started to apologize, but then the person she bumped into swept past her roughly. She turned and stared after the person's back. From what she could tell, he was blonde, and the pompous way he was walking reminded her of somebody, but she couldn't remember who.

_Ah, who cares about that jerk, I have to get to detention! _

With a deep sigh, Cho turned on her heel and rushed away. She then reached her destination and stood before the closed door. What would her punishment be? She had never gotten detention before, so she wouldn't know.

She was about to knock on the door when it flew open to reveal Professor Umbridge.

"Oh, hello, there, dearie!" she said in a sickly sweet voice. "Come in, come in."

Cho walked in reluctantly. There were several other students in the classroom. Some were writing sentences on the board, and others were writing on paper.

Typical, Cho thought darkly. Professor Umbridge always found a reason to give detention to her pupils.

"Have a seat," Professor Umbridge gestured to a seat directly in front of her own.

Cho sat down.

"What's my punishment?" she asked dully, wanting to get it over with so she could meet with Marietta.

"Oh, nothing _too _bad...just something that will remind you not to be rude in my class ever again." Professor Umbridge's smile widened.

**xXxXxXx**

**+---Twenty-five Minutes Later---+**

"I do hope this will teach you not to daydream, Miss Chang," Professor Umbridge smiled sweetly, accepting Cho's assignment, which was writing 'I will not daydream in class' over and over until she completely filled ten sheets of paper.

"Oh, yes," Cho said with the same sticky tone, faking a bright smile and trying to ignore the pain within her cramped hand. _Nothing too bad, my foot. _

"That Potter boy isn't worth staying after school and writing 'I will not daydream in class' over and over and over, is he?"

Cho didn't need to look in a mirror to know that she resembled a goldfish right now, her brown eyes blinking rapidly and her mouth hung open, gaping.

"H-how'd you know?" Cho sputtered.

Umbridge looked as if she were about to roll her eyes. "My dear, it doesn't take a psychic nor a genius to realize that you're brooding over him because he's with the Weasley girl. Anyway, dearie, remember what I said - forget that Potter boy and focus on what's important."

_It doesn't take a psychic nor a genius to realize that I'm resisting the urge to slap you right now_, Cho thought in distaste, but she simply turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

**xXxXxXx**

"Marietta?" Cho called out her friend's name as she opened the door to home 205. She stepped inside, looking around for her friend. "Marietta - " Cho stopped mid-sentence, for the room was empty...

...that is, except for the one and only -

"She's not here," came the dull, cold voice from the other side of the room.

"I...see." Cho hesitated. She had never been on speaking terms with this boy, much less _alone _with him. "What are _you _doing here..._Draco?" _she questioned stiffly. No matter how badly she thought of her peers, she called them by their first name because it was more polite.

Draco Malfoy shrugged. "Well, that friend of yours told me to come here...to talk to you." This he said with a scowl, as if he had been dragged here without his consent.

"What?" Cho said silkily. All of a sudden, she remembered the conversation she had with Marietta in the morning. She suppressed a groan. _She was actually serious? _

"I'm no more willing than you are, Chang," Draco said stiffly, seeing the look of disgust on her face. "But the only thing that made me agree to the bargain was that I get to crush Pothead." Draco smirked and crossed his arms. "It'll be fun to annoy the hell out of him."

"Is that all?" Cho asked suspiciously, ignoring the insulting nickname. _He agreed to this because he wants to have the satisfaction of seeing Harry jealous? _Cho wondered, stunned. _Well, _if _he gets jealous, but that's not the point..._

"Oh, and there was blackmail involved, too, but I won't get into that..." Draco pursed his lips in exasperation.

_Wow, Marietta's really serious. Blackmail?? _Cho was amazed at how far her friend would go to do something.

"I must say, it's quite pathetic that you're so desperate as to go _this _far to get the attention of Pothead," Draco drawled coolly.

Anger that he was insulting both Harry and her surged through Cho's chest. "This wasn't _my _idea," she snapped, "so don't act like it is."

"Ah, but this plan _resulted _from your desperation to win Pothead's affection," Draco pointed out smugly.

"Stop calling Harry that!" Cho ordered shrilly, trying to ignore the fact that he was right about her being desperate. _I _am _desperate_, she thought. _I _am _pathetic. Maybe...maybe that's why Harry doesn't like me. _

"I can call the _Pothead _whatever I like, Chang, so get used to it," Draco sneered.

Really, if she had even considered the possibility of agreeing to Marietta's plan, that thought was gone now. "I don't know why I'm talking with you," Cho muttered, turning on her heel and walking towards the doorway.

"Oh, well, I guess this means you've given up on Pothead?"

Cho's head snapped towards him like a rubber band. "Of _course not_, it's just that I'm not so desperate as to pretend to like _you, _of all people!" she shot back.

"Ah, pity, then," Draco shrugged, his smirk widening, "because if you ditch this plan, you have no hope of winning Pothead over."

This stopped Cho in her tracks. "I-I'll find a way," she muttered, her heart sinking as she realized what rubbish her words were. How else would she get Harry to consider that he liked her? There was simply no way. If she pretended she liked somebody else, it wouldn't bother Harry a bit. If she confessed her feelings to him and begged him to consider reciprocating them, he would tell her he was over her, and that she should do the same.

Draco was right, she thought, frustrated. The only way she could get Harry's attention was to pretend to like the guy he hated the most.

"F-fine," Cho almost choked on her words. She turned to face Draco, looking him in the face and wishing she could wipe that ugly smirk off his face. "But how is this going to work?" she asked bitterly.

Draco shrugged. "I dunno," he drawled dismissively, as if they were talking about the weather. "I guess we're going to have to do all that cheesy stuff that couples do. Hold hands, go on dates, kiss..."

"Oh, I see." Cho paused, her eyes bulging as large as pancakes when she realized what he had said. "Wait, _what?_" she almost screeched.

"Well, _duh_, Chang," Draco rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, and I thought you were highly intelligent. Isn't that what couples do?"

"W-well, _yes,_" Cho sputtered, "b-but..."

"How else are we going to convince everyone that we're a "couple"?" Draco rolled his eyes again as he made quotation marks with his fingers.

Cho was silent. He _was _right, she knew that. But thinking about engaging in intimate things like that with _him_ made her stomach lurch. Was it all really worth it? Pretending to like _him _in hopes that Harry might want her back? She wasn't even sure the plan would work. So, was it really worth it...?

All of sudden, she heard voices echoing from the hallway outside. Cho glanced at the doorway curiously. They seemed to be coming closer, but before she could identify them, she felt warm breath upon the side of her face.

"Hey, Chang...do you want to practice?"

Cho found herself staring into Draco's smirking face. Whoa, how'd he get in front of her face so fast?! she thought frantically.

"P-practice? Wh-what do you mean?" Cho's mouth moved clumsily and her wide eyes were staring into his hard, silver ones. Wishing that he wouldn't intrude on her space bubble, she inched bit by bit away from him, but to her dismay, she found herself backed up against a wall. She flinched slightly when he placed both of his palms on the wall on either side of her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You _know _what I mean."

His face was about a few inches away from hers. He was so close she could smell his cologne, so close that she could feel his warm breath upon her lips. He was _much too _close for her liking, Cho thought desperately. But _why _couldn't she move? Push him away? Slap him and scream at him for acting like a weirdo? It was as if she were petrified by the intense gaze his eyes captured hers in. To be honest, she couldn't tell _what _he was thinking at the moment or read his expression, and that was probably what frightened her the most.

To her terror, he raised his hand slowly to her face, and she flinched when she felt him gently caress her cheek. His palm then slowly slid down her cheek to the side of her neck, and then to her shoulder.

"You know, I never really noticed how pretty you were," he said softly, taking in a deep, slow breath. "And you smell nice, too."

Cho's eyes widened. What was he saying?! This was totally un-Draco-ish! Had someone brainwashed him?

"D-Draco, what are you doing??!"

Or that was what she _wanted _to say. She only managed to get his name out.

And then she felt his lips smash against hers forcefully before she could finish the rest of her sentence. She was much too shocked to push him away, she could only blink stupidly. But she felt his arms brush against her sides to snake around her waist, and that made her come to her senses.

_Oh, my God..._

**xXxXxXx**

_"You know, I never really noticed how pretty you were. And you smell nice, too." _

_"D-Draco..." _

That despicable name rang out in the air, echoing softly. Frozen, he pressed his back against the wall, his heart pounding. Had he heard right?

"B-Blimey...did I hear right? Was that..." the red-head's voice trailed off, stun clearly evident in his voice.

He didn't answer his friend. It was no mistake. It was _that git _remarking how pretty _she _was and how nice _she _smelled. It was _her _saying that git's name. But it couldn't be...

Anger filled his chest as he clenched his fists at the sound of his name from that angelic voice again.

_"Draco..."_

**xXxXxXx**

A muffled cry of protest escaped her lips as she tried to shove him away, but his grip on her was much stronger than the little strength she had. She turned swiftly away, feeling as if she had just taken her first breath of air.

"Draco, stop!"

Sadly, that was what she _wanted _to say. Again, only his name had managed to escape her lips. But then she felt his hand clasp the back of her head and turn it so that the distance between their lips was closed again.

She hated the way his lips felt. Yes, they were soft, just as they were supposed to be, but he was kissing her much too forcefully, so forcefully that she felt that if he applied any more pressure her lips would be swollen. She couldn't breathe, only wonder in bewilderment about his unusual and shocking behavior.

_He's too strong...too forceful...I can't push him away - _

"Ch-Cho..."

Cho could feel the color drain out of her face at the sound of the very familiar voice. Both Draco and Cho parted from their kiss to turn to the doorway, where a dark-haired boy stood with his red-haired friend. The red-head was twisted with disbelief and disgust, as if he had stepped into a pile of dung, but the expression on the dark-haired boy was what made Cho wanted to sink into the floor. He was staring at her as if she had done the unthinkable and stabbed him in the back.

_And she had. _

Oh, God...she never meant for this to happen. She could only stare back into those confused and sorrowful orbs of green and his name escaped from her lips in a soft whisper.

"Harry..."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N. Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to take so long. -SIGHS- I've been very busy lately ... aughs. It's like I'm even busy during the summer, too! AUUUGHS! xx Well, anyway, here's the second chapter of Ambiguity. Enjoy. :D

**xXxXxXx**

"Wh-what the hell were you doing ... ?!"

Cho shoved Draco away from her roughly, her throat dry with panic. "H-Harry, I ... I ..." she sputtered. Excuses exploded in her mind, but she could not find the right words. What could possibly explain her behavior?

However, Harry didn't seem to hear her. He was glaring hatefully at Draco, who looked unfazed by the anger in his green eyes.

"I said, what the hell were you doing?!" Harry shouted again, this time in a stronger and louder voice. Even though he was staring at Draco, Cho had no idea if who he was talking to in particularly - her, or Draco - or even both.

"Can't you figure it out for yourself?" Draco said coolly. "What's the matter? Did the shock wipe out the small remainder of the brain cells in that thick, hollow skull of yours?"

"Answer the frickin' question, Malfoy!" Harry said so indignantly that Ron and Cho both jumped, alarmed by the vehemence in his normally nonchalant voice.

"Ah, very well, then. If you're too _stupid _enough to figure it out..." Draco was clearly enjoying making Harry angry. "I was snogging her, of course."

The blunt response caught the other three off guard. Harry was the first to regain his composure.

"And who said you could snog her whenever you felt like it?" he said coldly.

"I don't need anyone to tell me whenever to snog my _girlfriend_, thank you very much."

"G-girlfriend?!" Ron echoed in disbelief.

"Yes, that's right, Weasley - _girlfriend. _Something _you _will never have."

Ron turned as red as his hair. "Shut the hell up, you asshole!"

"Yes, the truth _hurts_, doesn't it, Weasley?"

"Didn't you hear him the first time, Malfoy?" Harry snapped. "Listen to what he says and shut the hell up! And while I'm at it, let me tell you that if you value that head of yours, you'll stay away from Cho or you'll end up just like the Headless Horseman!"

Cho stared in shock. What happened to the sweet, kind Harry Potter she knew? Who was this boy who looked so fierce that it seemed he would walk right over to Draco and tear him up with his bare hands?

"Oooh, I'm _so _scared," Draco said, sarcasm dripping from his icy voice. "I would never let my head get chopped off by the likes of _you_, so I'll hang around her whenever I want!"

"You stay away from her or else!" Harry warned sharply.

"_Or else?_" Draco said, amused. Cho's eyes widened when Draco leaned towards her and twirled his finger into a lock of her hair. His breath was warm on her ear. "Or else, _what_, Potter? What are you going to do if I _don't _stay away from her?"

"What the hell are you blabbering about?! Cho's not your girlfriend!"

"Really? Well, if you don't believe me, you can ask her for yourself." Draco leaned so close to Cho that she felt his bangs fall onto her cheek. "Isn't that right, Chang? We _are _dating, aren't we? Go on, Chang, tell him."

Cho's brown eyes met Harry's green ones, and she dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling sick to her stomach. _Why can't I say anything? I had agreed to cooperate with him, so why am I so hesitant? _

Draco sensed Cho's reluctance and his smile flickered for a short instant, but he merely stood upright and looked calmly at Harry, who looked rather furious by his interaction with the Asian girl. "She's just a timid little mouse, isn't she? It's such a turn on."

Ron looked disgusted, but Harry looked like he'd explode with rage.

''Y-you - you - " he sputtered furiously.

"_You - you - _" Draco mimicked, his voice high and squeaky. Then in a normal voice, he went on calmly, "What do you care, Potter? You have no reason to be so worried about who Chang's hooked up with. She's none of _your _concern. Don't you have the Weasel girl now? Why don't you leave us be and waste your precious time fawning over your beloved tart?"

For once, it seemed like Harry could not retort. Before he could find the words to shoot back at Draco, Ron spoke up, his brown eyes blazing with rage.

"You bastard! How dare you - my sister is no tart!"

"She's been jumping from guy to guy for ages. What do _you _call that type of girl? As for me, a girl like that is nothing but a tart. See, I can name all her ex boyfriends on two hands. Corner," Draco counted on his fingers, "Finnigan, Jordan, Thomas, ... ah, and _Potter. _Okay, maybe it's just _one _hand ... but pretty soon it'll be two, I can assure you that. Really, Potter, I wouldn't be surprised if she dumped you to hook up with someone else, say ... _Longbottom._" Draco thought this was very funny and laughed heartily at his joke. "Don't be too heartbroken if that happens, Potter. But I wouldn't mind if you were so devestated by it that you commited suicide. That would do us all a great favor."

Ron clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Harry?" he growled.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, looking just as angry as Ron.

"Let's send him to hell together," Ron spat.

"It would be my pleasure."

Cho felt numb with confusion and fear. They looked like they _would _actually kill him. _What am I supposed to do? _she thought frantically.

To her relief - half relief, actually - she saw a pale, hook-nosed man step into the doorway behind Ron and Harry.

"Just what do you two think you're doing?"

Harry and Ron both jumped, startled, before whirling around. "P-professor Snape!"

Severus Snape, chemistry and physics teacher. He gained pleasure from bullying students he didn't like, giving hard and complicating assignments and exams, and handing out bad grades to his pupils. He was strict, sarcastic (in a hurtful way, not a funny one), and sadistic, and only a few students liked him, and he them. Draco Malfoy was one of those few.

Cho never had Snape as her teacher - she had Pomfrey, who was pretty much an easy teacher. But she heard so many horrible things about Snape that she felt a sense of disgust whenever she heard his name or saw him on campus. She officially started to dislike him when her friend, Lisa Turpin, came crying to her last year, saying that Snape humiliated her in front of the whole class, including her crush, just because she was doodling in her notebook instead of listening to his dull and confusing lecture and taking notes like she was supposed to. Cho knew very well that Harry and Ron despised Snape as much as she did, probably even more.

"I said, what are you two doing? Or did you not hear me the first time?" Snape looked at the two boys coldly.

"Nothing," Harry said flatly, looking back at Snape with a hateful sort of defiance. "I - I just needed to get my binder. I left it here - "

"I'm not surprised," Snape said flatly. Harry glared at him, but he stalked over to his desk and took his binder. "Detention, Potter. After school tomorrow. For the rest of the week."

"For what?" Harry stared angrily at Snape. "I just forgot my binder, that's all - "

"Potter, what are you - a freshman? You should know that there is no fighting permitted on campus. Hm, but I think even a _freshman _would know that - "

"I wasn't fighting - "

"Oh, my mistake - both you _and _Weasley did, so he gets detention with you, too."

"What?! But - " Ron protested.

"No ifs, ands, or buts. You two are to report to my classroom for detention for the rest of the week after school, and that is final. Your parents - or guardians, in your case, Potter - will also be informed." Ron's mouth hung open at this in dismay. "You should have considered the consquences before trying to pick a fight with Mr. Malfoy - "

"We didn't _try _to pick a fight with him!" Ron said indignantly. "He brought it upon himself! He provoked us - called my sister a tart - "

"Indeed? I heard nothing like that - all I heard was you and Potter saying how pleasureable it'd be to send him to hell." Snape looked at them with his eyebrow slightly arched.

"B-but - " Ron sputtered.

"You came at the wrong time, obviously!" Harry said angrily. "If you don't believe us, we have a witness! You can ask Cho!"

Snape finally seemed to notice Cho, and he stared at her, his face as blank as a peeled potato. Cho fidgeted under his wary gaze.

"Go on, Cho!" Harry said. "Tell Snape the truth - that Malfoy called Ginny a tart!"

Cho suddenly felt a pang of heaviness in her heart. Was that why Harry was so upset - because Draco insulted his girlfriend? For a moment, she had believed that he was upset because of _her_, not that girl - but clearly, she was wrong. Resentment for the red-haired Weasley started to boil in her chest.

"Go on, Cho!" Harry repeated, looking more desperate now. Cho could not look at him. _Why should I speak up for that girl? _she thought bitterly.

"How do I know that she won't be biased?" Snape asked coldly. "She's a friend of yours, so it's not guaranteed that she'll be completely honest."

Harry and Ron seemed to be on the brink of exploding. "But that's not fair!" Ron burst out. "You won't listen to anything we say, and you'll just side with Malfoy just because you - "

"Of _course _I wouldn't listen to anything you two have to say. Having had the misfortune to be your teacher for two years, I've noticed that you two aren't all that honest." _Like _Malfoy _is?_! It took everything Ron and Harry had not to point that out. "How many times have I caught you copying off one another's assignments?"

"Malfoy does that, too!" Ron burst out impatiently. "He does it ten times more than we do!"

Snape pretended not to hear him. "If you don't stop your irritating whining, I'll extend your detention to the end of the _month._"

Ron opened his mouth to object, but Harry shot him a look, shaking his head furiously. He was clearly as frustrated as Ron, but he had the sense to shut up.

"Very wise of you, Potter. Be glad that I haven't _suspended _you two." Snape clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "It's such a pain ... I'll be going through _two _more years of this."

_It sure has hell ain't gonna be a carnival for us, either, _Harry thought bitterly. From the look on Ron's face, he was thinking the exact same thing.

Snape raised a pale finger and pointed. "Now, get out. That includes you, too." Snape looked at Cho. "Unless you want to have detention with the two of them?"

"N-no, sir!" Cho rushed over to Harry and Ron.

"I thought so." Snape turned his gaze towards Draco. "You should get going, too, Draco."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for lending me your keys, Professor."

"Of course, Draco ... it wasn't like you were going to do anything _dishonest._" Snape took his keys from Draco and gave Ron and Harry a withering look. When he went to his desk to get his things, Draco sneered at Ron and Harry, who glared back at him hatefully. He then looked at Cho and raised an eyebrow in a suggestive manner. He pressed two fingers to his lips and then blew a kiss to her, a smug grin spreading across his face.

"Cho, let's get out of here," Harry clenched his teeth. He grabbed her arm and she winced.

"U-um - Harry?" He didn't listen, however; he just dragged her out of the room. Before exitting, Cho looked back and caught a glimspe of the triumphant smirk on Draco's face.

**xXxXxXx**

The instant they were out of earshot, Ron turned on Cho.

"Why didn't you say anything to that old bastard?" Ron said angrily. "You could have spoken up and said that Malfoy called Ginny a tart. Why did you just stand there and do nothing?!"

Cho blinked, surprised. Before she could find the words to say, Harry spoke up. "Ron, be sensible. It's not like Snape would have listened."

"Yeah, but she could have at least _tried _to act like she was on _our _side!"

Cho looked away. "I'm sorry," she said stiffly, although she didn't care that Ron got in trouble, or that she hadn't defended Ginny. She truly did feel sorry for Harry, though.

"That doesn't help anything! Why the hell didn't you speak up?! That's what I'm so mad about, in addition to the fact that Snape gave _us _detention and let that slimeball off the hook - _and_ he's gonna tell my parents! Dammit, I am _so _in for it - "

"I'm mad, too, Ron," Harry said, "but I'm not blaming Cho for anything."

"I'm not blaming anybody, Harry! I'm just saying that she should have -"

"But it wouldn't have made a difference, Ron! That's the point!"

"I don't care!" Ron snapped stubbornly. "If she was really a friend of yours, she would have stuck up for you!"

Harry stopped walking and glared at Ron. "What if she had?" Harry said. "What would the point be? Would our situation be any less worse?" Ron opened his mouth to respond, but Harry cut him off. "Instead of being angry at Cho, who could have done _nothing _to help our situation, maybe you should focus all your anger on the two who _really _deserve it.''

For a moment, Harry and Ron engaged in a fierce staring contest. Finally, Ron broke eye contact and looked away.

"Whatever," he said stiffly. The three walked down the hallway, weighed down by the tense silence. Admist her discomfort, Cho couldn't help thinking how wonderful it was of Harry to defend her, even though he was probably just as angry as Ron was about their situation. For an instant, she forgot about the scary-looking Harry she had seen back at the classroom.

"I can't believe you'd date an asshole like Malfoy, Cho," Ron muttered. "I had always thought you were too sensible to go out with scum like him ..."

Harry halted to a stop so abruptly that Cho, walking behind him, slammed into him. "Oh, sorry," she apologized. However, he didn't seem to hear; he turned to her so quickly that Cho didn't even see him turn turn his head.

"Don't be stupid, Ron. Did you really believe all that crap that Malfoy said about her being his girlfriend?" Harry said flatly. His tone sounded so confident in contrast to the anxious, almost fearful look in his eyes.

"She didn't deny it," Ron pointed out. "When Malfoy asked her if they were going out, she just stood there and said nothing."

"It's not like she said yes."

"It's not like she said no!" Ron insisted. Harry and Ron engaged in another staring contest before Harry broke eye contact and gave a frustrated sigh.

"You know what? Arguing with each other isn't going to help."

"Okay, then," Ron said hastily. "So, why don't we just ask Cho herself?"

Cho blinked, startled, when they both looked at her. "What?" she couldn't help but say nervously, even though she knew exactly what was going on.

"Are you dating Malfoy?" Harry said, his eyes pleading her to say no. "He was lying through his teeth, wasn't he?"

Cho felt her heart pounding in her ribs. Something was telling her to say yes - after all, wasn't that what she had intended to do? Pretend to date Draco to make him jealous? But something was holding her back. How could she dare? How could she even _think _about saying something that would hurt him?

"Well?" Ron said irritatedly. "We don't have all day."

"Wasn't he?" Harry ignored Ron, looking vastly dismayed by her silence.

No, she couldn't ... but Harry ...! Oh, God, she loved him so much. She wanted to be with him ... she wanted him to love _her_. Not that blasted Ginny Weasley ... _her. _Her and only her. But ... to make him hers ... did she have to hurt him?

_I ... I don't know what to do. I feel so confused! _Cho could feel something hot stinging the back of her eyes. She whirled and ran ahead of them. She didn't even stop when Harry called her name. She suspected that Harry would probably have caught up to her, but Ron held him back.

"Ron ... ! Let go of me!" Harry glared at Ron.

"Why bother, Harry? Isn't it obvious?" Ron said flatly. "She's embarrassed because she really _is _dating him."

"Don't go jumping to conclusions, Ron. We don't even know the whole story."

"We know most of it, and that's good enough for me. They were _making out_, Harry," Ron seemed to have lost his patience.

"Malfoy could have just assaulted her!"

"If he did, why didn't she push him away, then? Explain _that_, Harry. Why did she sound like she was _enjoying _it?"

Harry stared at Ron, dumbfounded. Part of him knew that what Ron said was right. It made goosebumps crawl all over his arms to remember, but he grudgingly admitted to himself that Cho definitely did _not _sound unhappy to be making out with Draco. The way she moaned, the way she whispered his name ... Harry shook his head furiously at the disgusting memory. But,_ but ... _his mind clumsily tried to search for a logical answer. To his dismay, he could find none that could convince Ron or even himself.

"There must be a logical explanation. I - I'll ask her tomorrow."

Ron suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at Harry's obstinacy. "Suit yourself, then," he grumbled. "But I'm telling you - "

"I heard you the first time, Ron!" Harry jerked his arm from Ron and stalked off, the anger in his chest so hot and scorching that it could have melted metal.

**xXxXxXx**

_What have I done? _The words repeated themselves in Cho's mind like a mantra. Did Harry hate her now? She didn't care much that Ron was angry at her; she was never on friendly terms with him, anyway - but Harry's feelings did matter. Was he secretly feeling resentment towards her because she was associating with his nemesis? It hadn't occured to her until now that Harry might actually _hate _her for doing this.

Cho cried out, startled, when a gust of wind concentrated its efforts onto her being, tickling her neck and caressing her face. When the breeze died down, Cho couldn't help thinking that something had felt vaguely familiar. Then the horror and disgust she had felt earlier built up in her stomach again as the memory of Draco touched her neck and face rushed into her mind like an icy cold tidal wave. And then ... and then ...

Cho stopped, feeling the blood drain from her face. Her eyes fell upon the water fountain nearby, and she rushed towards it. As she neared it, a woman bent at the fountain to take a drink, but Cho shoved her out of the way and pumped water into her mouth desperately.

The woman muttered something under her breath. However, Cho didn't notice the woman's irritation; she was intent on ridding herself of the taste and feeling of Draco's lips. But like a stain in a carpet, it wouldn't completely go away.

_To think that my first kiss was wasted on the likes of Draco Malfoy! _Cho thought furiously.

Cho gave one final spit into the fountain, not noticing that people were staring at her in disgust, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She whirled and stalked towards home, cursing the boy who stole her first kiss.

**xXxXxXx**

**Possible side pairings: **

1. Hermione/Harry. PLEASE do not flame me if you are a die-hard Ron/Hermione fan and a Hermione/Harry basher. It's just really irritating when a person flames a story just because of the story. Of course I can understand if you're disappointed! I know what it's like to read a decent story with side pairings I despise. But please don't go making any rude comments ... Thanks. :) I can tell you there WILL be Ron/Hermione at first, but eventually, Hermione and Harry will end up together.

2. Neville/Ginny. I don't like Ginny all that much, to tell you the truth, but it feels kind of wrong to leave her all alone after she splits with Harry. I think she goes best with Neville, even though he's the complete opposite of her. They're such good friends in the book series ... :)

3. Ron/Luna. Haha, this is a only a small possibility though. Let me get this straight: I _**hate**_ Ron Weasley with the passion of a thousand suns. Sorry to offend any Ron fans, but I believe he is, in the words of Hermione, an insensitive wart. I don't understand why Hermione likes him ... he's so mean to her! I don't have anything against couples fighting (it can be amusing and cute sometimes), but they fight constantly for little or no reason, and it's not even funny. I always feel sorry for Hermione when Ron hurts her feelings. And then there was him ditching Harry when Harry really needed his support in Book Four! SERIOUSLY, WTF, RON! What a lousy friend you are. Anyway, I don't know why I considered putting Ron and Luna together ... I think I'm going crazy. XD

4. Pansy/Gregory: Don't even ask ... LOL.


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